In Silence
by DianaLineelu2001
Summary: Sasuke wished that he somehow could avoid this illness but he couldn’t. But Yukimura is always there, supporting him, so it’s okay.


**Pairing:** Yukimura x Sasuke

**Status:** One Shot/Completed

**Summary:** Sasuke wished that he somehow could avoid this illness but he couldn't. But Yukimura is always there, supporting him, so it's okay.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it.

**Timeline ** After the journey to bring Mibu clan down. Sasuke is around 16.

**In Silence**

Red, yellow and brown leaves fallen down to the ground in a slow graceful motion. They swirled around, occasionally blown further away by the winds. The ground of the mansion was filled with autumn leaves, beautiful but somehow, its beauty was filled with nostalgic melancholy.

Sitting on the floor at the edge of the entrance, a young man dangled his legs there. He was using a simple but comfortable looking kimono; a blanket was draped on his thin shoulders. The young man was incredibly beautiful. His beauty was caught somehow between a male and female, enchanting. However, his too pale complexion and thin figure clearly indicated that something was wrong with his body.

Somewhere, someone was approaching him with a slow, steady motion; his footsteps were almost completely unheard. The young man was usually sharp at detecting someone's presence but his bout of heavy coughing blocked the other's presence away. He clutched at his chest in vain attempt to loosen the tightness in it that made him feel as if he was unable to draw in breath. The other hand was covering his mouth, knowing all along that his palm would be smeared with a decent amount of dark red liquid; his blood.

The previously slow and steady footsteps increased its speed –almost running- until it reached the silver haired young man. The other presence immediately knelt by his side and rubbed his back in a soothing motion. He remained silent until the boy stopped coughing. Blood is something that he always see, got used to seeing. He always thought that the sight of blood would not give him any effect anymore. It seemed that he was wrong for something in his heart twisted when he saw the amount of blood around the sick boy's lips, hand and dripping on his light purple kimono. That much amount of blood should have came out from wounds, not from something as simple as coughing.

"Yukimura...I-I need to wash them away," Sasuke's voice rasped, pained. Yukimura's chest tighten even more, he would do anything to stop the pain, even by giving his life away. But for now, he smiled and helped the young man to stand up and go to the bathroom.

"Sasuke-kun, I'll bring you another cloth to change into, okay?" Sasuke smiled gratefully at his partner and master and nodded. Yukimura closed the door of the bathroom and moved to Sasuke's room.

A moment later, Yukimura came back with a dark green kimono folded neatly in his hands. He knocked the bathroom door and said out his name. The door opened, revealing a now clean Sasuke except for his cloth. The dark haired man entered the room, put the cloth on a clean and dry wooden shelf and proceed to help Sasuke off his current clothing. The silver haired boy was about to protest, displeased at being treated like a child or someone weak but Yukimura stopped him by pressing his lips gently towards Sasuke. His golden eyes automatically slid shut with pleasure. Before long, he pushed the older man gently away, out of breath.

"Geez, just because you're taller and have bigger lungs don't mean that you have the right at all to deprive me of oxygen!" Sasuke snapped at him, feigning annoyance even when he was really pleased with the kiss. Yukimura smiled.

"I can't help it _Sasuke-chan_. You're so cute!"

His hand expertly took off the layers of clothes Sasuke was wearing, putting them one by one into a bucket.

"Don't call me cute! Don't _Sasuke-chan_ me! Damn it!" Sasuke bristled, disliking the way he was compared to a girl.

"Okay, okay, I got it. Tsk, Ojiu is going to have a hard time to wash the blood away," the dark haired man shook his head at seeing the dark red droplets that seeped into the cloth. The younger man snorted.

"It wasn't like she was not used to it anyway."

Yukimura chest twisted even further, threatening to break off. Sasuke's words, no matter how callous, were extremely true. The Mibu clan hereditary illness had showed up for quite some time already in Sasuke -6 months? Or longer?- and as they knew, the disease had no cure. But none of them gave up. Everyone in the Shinda family was trying their best to find medicine that could cure him or even just ease his pains and lengthen his life. Akari too was trying her best, to fulfill Ryuishi's wish and to help out Sasuke.

Sasuke, for his part, was very accepting of his disease, knowing for quite some time already that it would eventually happen even when admittedly a part of him wished that he was excluded somehow from getting the disease. He was happy enough already that he gained the diseased far later than any of his 'siblings' in Ryuishi's laboratory. But that didn't mean that he would accept death easily. He was giving his all in fighting the disease; he would not accept it lying down on his bed if he could help it. He wanted to be with his family and friends for a longer time, living his life as happily as he could. He wanted to experience everything with Yukimura so that should his time come, Yukimura can go on with their memories to drive him on, not stuck in one place thinking about all sorts of 'what ifs' in his stupid head.

There was only one regret he probably would carry to his death, that was to fulfill his promise to the previous Sarutobi Sasuke; to protect Yukimura to his very last breath. He wanted to, desperately wanted to. However, his body condition made him the protected one instead of the one protecting. It was frustrating, how the previous and the current Sarutobi Sasuke both could not fulfill their biggest wish. He should tell his lover to not give that name to anyone else after his death, lest the failure would continue on.

The last of the garment was taken off, leaving Sasuke merely in his undergarment. His pale skin shone like a pure brilliant pearl. He was beautiful, Yukimura thought absent mindedly. His body was reacting in a pleasurable way but Yukimura willed it away. Even when Sasuke wouldn't say it –stubborn brat- he knew that Sasuke was feeling more than just a bit under the weather today. His too pale visage and the pain that occasionally flickered in his eyes even when his facial expression reveals nothing showed it.

He then gentle put on the new cloth on Sasuke, layer by layer, gently as Sasuke was someone extremely precious for him, someone whom he was unwilling to let go, not now, not tomorrow, and not anytime in the future. He was greedy, he admitted. He wouldn't be content with just being with Sasuke for some time more, even when Sasuke managed to live longer that anyone else infected with disease similar to his, mostly due to his incredible fighting spirit. He wanted to spend his whole life with Sasuke, unable and unwilling to imagine how to live on the days without the silver haired boy by his side.

"Kyo and his friends will come to visit us this afternoon. They will stay here for a few days," the older man's gentle voice penetrated the silence. The golden eyes that were previously slid shut with exhaustion snapped open, lightning up like fireworks bursting in the summer's night sky.

"Really? You mean _everyone_ will come?" he said excitedly, like a child he never had a chance to be. Yukimura smiled wider and nodded. The heaviness in his heart lightened a bit.

"Um, everyone will come. Miss Yuya promised to bring you your favourite cake." Sasuke made a happy noise.

They proceed to walk out of the bathroom and walked towards the living room, where nearby in the kitchen, the others were arguing about how to cook a certain dish.

"Stupid!! Don't put that much amount of salt! It will taste like hell!"

"Bullshit! The lady in the market told me to put a lot of salt to cook this you know!"

"You! What were you doing with that ketchup?!"

"To put it in this of course."

"ArgH!!!!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes while Yukimura laughed lightly. Only when they both sat comfortably did Yukimura poured the tea for his lover and himself.

"Akari said that he had made new medicine. He would like you to try it. Would you?" Yukimura said it with an air of airiness. Only those close to him could hear the underlying hopefulness in it.

"Of course, I'd try. Anything to help me fight. Honestly, Yukimura you don't even have to ask." The golden eyes flashed with silent, calm fire, like how it used to be when Sasuke had been healthy. The older man's eyes widened slightly before it slid shut and a smile formed on the lips. He reached out his hand and put on his lover thinning hand and let it stay there.

They sipped on the hot tea and kept silent. For now, words were unnecessary for them.

**-OWARI-**


End file.
